Saturday, February 22, 2020

Episode 45: There's a Bad Moon on the Rise


Get ready - 2020 has 13 full moons, so the werewolves will be running amok! In this episode we will take a look at these hairy, scary monsters. Starting with the legends and myths from around the world about werewolves, we turn then to the many films that feature these man-beasts. Some you will undoubtedly have heard of, but we dug up a few obscure ones too.


Why are werewolves so fascinating? There's something so tragic and compelling about these poor souls who are cursed to change into vicious beasts. But there's undeniably something exciting about it too - the pure freedom and power of the wild animal. And what type of werewolf do you like best - more wolflike or more manlike? There are a lot of different versions to choose from, ranging from full-on wolf to the snouted creatures found in films like Underworld and Dog Soldiers, to the classic look of Lon Chaney Jr's Wolfman. The crew discusses which looks they like the most and why.


We also do a little thought experiment -who is an actor who hasn't played a werewolf who should? We came up with some unusual, but hopefully, entertaining choices!

Commander Larry and Lt. Jasmine at Galaxy's Edge
For our Sensor Sweep this time, Commander Larry takes us all to a galaxy far, far away...in Anaheim. Yes, the Commander tells us all about his experience at Disneyland's newest sensation, Galaxy's Edge! Get the lowdown on this Star Wars-centric land. 


Extra: Just a reminder, thanks to all of your efforts, Planet 8 is up for a Rondo award for Best Multimedia Site! We are so appreciative of the support you, our great listeners, have given us! You can put us over the top by voting for us now at https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/. While you're there, also consider voting for Chief Engineer Bob's other concern, Sci-Fi Japan, for Best Website. In other news, Bob and Keith Aiken from Sci Fi Japan will be recording commentary for the  Gamera the Brave, part of a Gamera box set coming out later this year. 


Finally, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting an anime weekend -Animezing! -  at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco on March 14th and 15th. For more information go to http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/animezing.


We bid you adieu for now. As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this episode's topic -or anyting else! You can leave a comment here, or hit us up at our other spots: 
And remember...Stay off the moors!!!

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Help Planet 8 Win a Rondo Award!


Planet 8 space cadets, friends, and listeners across the known universe - you did the unbelievable and got Planet 8 nominated for Best Multimedia Site for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards! Your crew is grateful and honored just to be nominated.

Now, we ask you to help us by aiming even higher! Dare we dream of it? Could our lonely little outpost actually WIN such a prestigous award? We can if YOU vote for us!

Voting is easy: go to https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/ for the ballot, cut and paste your choices into an email and send to Taraco@aol.com. You can vote for whichever categories you wish -you do not have to vote in every category. You can vote for all, one, or a few, whatever you're comfortable with. Just send that vote in! One vote a person is the main rule.

For those who might wonder why they should vote for Planet 8, below are links to some of our more horror-themed episodes:

So there it is. We'd really love to put one of these beauties up in the command center...or the orbiting satellite...thanks for your support!!


Saturday, February 8, 2020

Episode 44: Make It So! Musings on Jean-Luc Picard



With the return of Jean-Luc Picard to the small screen, the Planet 8 crew decided it would be a good time to reminisce about the former starfleet legend and the great actor who plays him, Sir Patrick Stewart. We'll go over the casting process that brought Stewart to Star Trek, and our initial impressions of Captain Picard. And here's a hint - we weren't exactly in love with him at the start!


But with time, the good captain won us over. We'll offer up some of our favorite episodes and moments featuring the captain of the Enterprise-D. What made Picard so special as a character? What were the qualities of the Captain that we admired? And how did he differ from the only other starfleet captain we knew at the time, Captain Kirk?


We recorded this episode  just before the Star Trek Picard show premiered, so we'll also share thoughts about what we hope to see from this new show too.



For the Sensor Sweep this time, Karen shares two excellent Star Trek books: The Fifty Year Mission:  The First Twenty Five Years:The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized, Oral History of Star Trek, and its sequel, The Fifty Year Mission: The Next Twenty-Five Years, by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. You might be thinking, "More Star Trek books? I know everything about Star Trek!" But believe us, these books peel away so many layers to uncover hidden stories that will surprise even long-time fans. You can find them in major book stores or, of course, on Amazon. And Altman also hosts a terrific Star Trek podcast called Inglorious Treksperts -check it out.


Listeners, we also want to say a big "Thank you" to all of you who got out and nominated  Planet 8 for Best Multimedia Site for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (https://rondoaward.com/). It is such an honor and a thrill to get on the Rondo ballot! We really appreciate you getting out there and pushing Planet 8. Now we want to ask if you will go one more step and vote for us on the actual ballot! The link above will take you to the Rondo ballot. It's been a blast putting the show together for you every other week, and we always enjoy your feedback. We hope we can continue to entertain you in the many years ahead!

That's it for us, but you know our hailing frequencies are always open! Send us a message here, or at our other communication points:

Thanks for Listening!